The offseason is almost upon us. The NFL Combine is underway. Free Agency officially begins on March 13th, but Legal Tampering starts on March 11th. If the Eagles are going to get back to being a contender, Howie Roseman is going to have to have a very successful offseason.
Their defense last year was bad. Not just mediocre, but terrible. Especially in the back half of the season. Even more so after they put Matt Patricia in charge. But their issues went beyond the Defensive Coordinator. Howie Roseman did not do a good job rebuilding the defense after 5 starters left in free agency. The Linebackers, Safeties, and Cornerbacks all got worse than they were in 2022. He went cheap, or in the case of Cornerback too old. It caught up to them. A big part of the offseason will be how Howie rebuilds that part of the roster.
But the offense could use some help too. Jason Kelce is mulling retirement. D’Andre Swift might leave in free agency. Plus they could probably use some more weapons outside of the main 3 guys.
Luckily the Eagles have a lot of cap space and decent cap space. Especially after the NFL Cap expanded by over $30 million. So the Eagles have the tools to fix their team. It is just a matter of whether they will use them right. Something Howie Roseman has occasionally done better than anyone. Bt there have also been enough disasters (like last year) that give us reason to worry.
So what do they need most? Is cornerback the most important position? Linebacker? Could the Haason Reddick situation push Defensive End to the forefront of their issues? Let’s go through all of their needs and rank them from most to least important.
Here are their 7 biggest needs this off-season:
1) Cornerback
Without a doubt, Corner is their biggest need. The Vic Fangio scheme relies heavily on having great cornerback play. The Eagles got that in 2022, so their defense was good. They did not get it last year, so their defense was bad. They need to get younger, faster, but most importantly better there.
Ideally through the draft, giving them cheap CB play for multiple years. It’s a good off-season to sign a corner too, but it would be nice to finally have their own great young corner.
2) Linebacker
This is a need every year. Nakobe Dean is the only Linebacker they have that could maybe be worthy of starting. But even he is not a sure thing. Howie will never invest heavily at Linebacker. But he at least needs to invest something there. Whether it is on day 2 of the draft, or with a free agent.
They can’t go in with as poor of linebacker play as they had last season. They need at least one sure thing. I would suggest Drue Tranquil in Free Agency. But he is one of several options worth looking into.
3) Safety
Like with Linebacker, it feels like this is always a need. They have Reed Blankenship, who was kind of bad last season. They also have Sydney Brown who struggled his rookie season. They will both be back. But you can’t count on them as your starters. Kevin Byard will be cut for cap space.
Like at Linebacker, they need to bring in a sure thing. Not necessarily a star. But someone you can’t count on. Free agency seems like a better place to address this than the draft, just based on who is available.
4) Runningback
D’Andre Swift likely won’t be back. Kenny Gainwell is fine as a rotation guy, but he is not a lead-back. RBs are not worth breaking the bank for. But you do want a good one. I am always a fan of taking one on Day 2. But you could also work out a deal like you did last year for Swift, and get a cheap guy for a Day 3 pick.
5) Wide Reciever
The Eagles have an elite duo at WR. But WR 3 continues to be an issue. And if one of them is out, or Dallas Goedert is out, they are down to just two viable options for Hurts to throw too. It would be worth it for the Eagles to bring in a real WR3.
They don’t need a star. But someone who can give them 500 yards would be nice. Maybe take someone with a day 3 pick.
6) Offensive Line
The Eagles starting 5 might be set. Even if Jason Kelce retires, Cam Jurgens slides to Center, and they hope Tyler Steen can play RG. Even if that all works out, O-Line is still a need. They need to start thinking about the heir apparent to Lane Johnson, and they may need another guard to push Tyler Steen at RG, or just to back him up.
7) Defensive End
This could become the biggest need if Haason Reddick is traded. But even if he is not, they may need to do something there. We don’t know if Brandon Graham will be back, and they could stand to improve on him anyway. They hope Nolan Smith steps into a bigger role, but he is unproven. I don’t want to see them invest another 1st round pick in the position. But they need something, even if it’s just a rotational piece.
